Gemechis Mershadebela
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SESAME PRODUCTION, CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND FOOD SECURITY IN WESTERN ETHIOPIA Gemechis MershaDebela A Dissertation Submitted to the Center for Environment and Development Studies, College of Development Studies Presented in the Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies (Environment and Development Studies) Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia May, 2020 i ii iii Sesame Production, Climate Change Adaptation and Food Security in Western Ethiopia ABSTRACT Ethiopia is the country mainly vulnerable to climate change which has already posed grave threats to agricultural production, food security and human wellbeing. The purpose of this study is to examine sesame production, vulnerability, adaptation and food security relationship of smallholder farmers in West Ethiopia. Specifically, it is to examine the determining factors of farmers’ decision to participate in sesame production; to explore adaptation options and identify factors impacting smallholders’ decision in practicing adaptation to climate change measures; climate change; to examine the status and determinants of food security of smallholder farmers’; to evaluate the impact of climate change adaptation options sesame production and household food security. The research employed key informant interviews, focused group discussions and a survey of 400 sampled households to collect data from the study area. Descriptive methods, index, and econometrics models were used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean, chi-square, t-tests, and one way ANOVA were used. Double-hurdel model (probit and truncated), rainfall satisfaction index, multinomial logit model, household food insecurity access scale, binary logit model and two stage least square model were employed to examine the data. The result indicates that sesame production decision is significantly constrained by farmers’ resource endowment and market information. Smallholders with more education, land, food access and credit access are more likely to plant sesame. The study discloses that households experienced higher exposure to climate change and variability. The result reveal that agronomic practices, livelihood diversification, soil and water conservation and small-scale irrigation were the main adaptation strategies to overcome the adverse of changing climate in the study area. It is also observed that adopting agronomic practices is significantly and positively impacted by availability of early warning system, social capital and number of crop failure experience; while market distance and farm size negatively influenced it. Soil and water conservation practices are influenced positively by farm size, market distance and existence of early warning systems. Further, access to credit, social capital, and educational status of household heads positively affected adoption of small-scale irrigation. The results revealed that 65.8% of sampled households are food secure, while the remaining is not. The results shows the effectiveness of climate adaptation strategies namely agronomic practices, small-scale irrigation and soil and water conservation in reducing climatic hazards and ensuring household food security. Additionally, land holding, family size and livestock ownership are significant factors influencing household food security. The study further indicates that adoption of soil and water conservation, livelihood diversification and employing different agronomic practices has significant impact on the level of sesame production. The result also implicitly indicated that farmers continued to adapt sesame production under changing climate and it contributes to farmers’ food security enhancement. The result imply programs that endorse farmers’ access to credit, alternative income earning sources, and establishing updated sesame market price information flow and appropriate selling channels would be of paramount importance in improving and shifting rural farming in to market-oriented and export potential high value crops like sesame. The study further suggests the importance of developing resilience-building climate change adaptation strategies. Accordingly, a policy that promotes the adoption of agronomic practices, livelihood diversification, soil and water conservation and small-scale irrigation practices should be essential in food security program and improvement of sesame production in the study area. Moreover, in order to enhance the role of adoption of adaptation options in reducing the impact of changing climate the policy should give emphasis for: creating effective early warning system and efficient micro-finance institutions, improving infrastructures and increasing farmers’ climate adaptation awareness and stand by. Keywords: sesame production, climate change exposure, adaptation, food security, West Ethiopia iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am sincerely indebted to many people, in one or another, contributed to the accomplishment of this study. Foremost, my earnest gratitude goes to my dear supervisors Dr. Engdawork Assefa, Dr. Dawit Driba and Dr. Sosina Bezu for accepting me as their advisee and for their insightful scientific guidance, criticism, and suggestions which have been very essential for successful completion of this dissertation work. Beside the PhD work I have learned many things from you that would be helpful throughout my future career. Thank you again! My special thanks also go to my good friend Samuel Tolosa for his willingness to voluntarily move with me from Addis Ababa to Gida Ayana and then Sasiga districts for data collection. Additionally, all the sampled respondents, enumerators, and other collaborated individuals deserve special thanks for their valuable work during data collection. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development of Sasiga and Gida Ayana districts for their facilitation during data collection of this research work. Iwould like to express my sincere gratitude to Wolaita Sodo University and Addis Ababa University for sponsoring my study. I also want to thank all my class mates and friends, especially, Fekadu Mengistu and Teame Baraki with whom we have had countless discussions andwords of encouragements. Gebrekdan Werku and Alemu Beyene also deserve my especial thanks for producing map of the study area used in this study. I am also very grateful to always have my dear friends Dr Senshaw Tamru, Dr Paulos Asrat, Toli Jambare, Engdasewu Feleke and Jemal Fito for helping and encouraging me in many ways. Many thanks go to Mengistu Tadesse, Drirssa Amdissa and Admasu Adamu for their always prayer and words of encouragement. Finally, I would like to address my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to my beloved mother Nuria Delil and my father Mersha Debela. It is your encouragement, dedication and commitment that brought me here to this stage today. I am also very indebted to my uncle, Prof. Etana Debela, for his always motivation and encouragement. My darling sister and brothers—Rahel, Abdi and Aboma— thanks for your always encouragement and prayer. I love you all…Horaa naaf bulaa-mo’aa injifadhaas! Thanks God, the merciful and passionate, for the unconditional love and providing me the blessing to complete this work in Jesus Christ name, Amen. v DEDICATION To my beloved family—Mom & Dad—to my darling sis and bros—Rahel-rich, Abdi-tobe & Aboma-obex Mersha… Love you all! Stay blessed! vi List of original papers This dissertation is based on the following four original papers, which are listed from 1–4. Paper 1: Determinants of Smallholders‘ Export-Potential Cash Crop Production Decision in Ethiopia: the Case of Sesame Sector. Paper 2: Smallholder Sesame Producers‘ Adaptation Decisions to Climate Change and its Determinants in Western Ethiopia Paper 3: Household Food Security Status and Determinants under the Variable and Changing Climate in Western Ethiopia Paper 4: Climate Change Adaptation and its Impact on Food Security and Sesame Production in Western Ethiopia vii Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................................................xi LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................................... xii ABBREVIATION AND ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................. xiii 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background of the Study............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 General Problem Description ........................................................................................................ 4 1.3 Objectives of the Study ................................................................................................................. 9 1.4 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 9 1.5 Significance the Study .................................................................................................................. 9 1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study ...........................................................................................